From L-R – PGA TOUR winners – Sahith Theegala, Akshay Bhatia & Aaron Rai
Three Indian-origin players, Americans Akshay Bhatia & Sahith Theegala, and Briton Aaron Rai have created history by advancing to the second leg of the season-ending FedEx Cup Playoffs on the PGA Tour, where US$100 million will be split among the top 30 players. This is the first time in history that three players of Indian origin are featured in the playoffs together. In 2022, Theegala became the first and only one to qualify. All three players are currently ranked inside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings. Not long ago, it would have been unimaginable to see not just one, but three players of Indian origin at this level on the PGA Tour.
Each of them has taken a different route to get to this point in their young careers:
Akshay Bhatia, 22, was a former World No. 1 Junior who chose to skip college and join the pro ranks at age 17. He started on the minor tours, then won on the Korn Ferry Tour. He took 2nd at a PGA Tour event and soon after won his first PGA Tour title, thereby earning full playing privileges at age 20. A breakthrough win this year at the Valero Texas Open has earmarked Bhatia as a superstar in the making, with US$5.2 million in earnings in 2024.
Sahith Theegala, 26, was identified as a world-beater when he became the 2020 NCAA College Player of the year at Pepperdine University in California. His early success on the PGA Tour through sponsor exemptions led to his full playing rights for the 2022 PGA Tour season through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. He finally won on the PGA Tour in 2023, and this year has 7 top-10 finishes, including 2 runners-up to stand 8th in the FedEx Cup rankings with US$8.2 million in earnings.
29-year-old Aaron Rai from England paid his dues, spending 3-4 years on the minor tours in Europe until he earned his European Tour card in 2018. On the European Tour, Rai won twice: first in 2018 and then in 2020, where he defeated Tommy Fleetwood on the first extra hole of the Scottish Open. He then secured his PGA Tour card at the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Finals. In his previous two seasons on the PGA Tour, Rai managed only five top-10 finishes, but this season alone, he has registered six top-10s, including a runner-up finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in June and then won at the Wyndham Championship two weeks ago, which vaulted him into the playoffs at 21st in the FedEx Cup rankings with US$4.5 million in prize money.
The formidable success of this Indian-origin trio goes to show that given the world-class training and competition environment offered in the USA and UK, the same Indian genes can produce such successful champion golfers. Food for thought for our Indian players who have to struggle with sub-standard facilities while striving to compete on the world stage.
The FedEx Cup Playoffs explained:
The FedEx Cup, introduced in 2007, is the championship trophy for the PGA Tour and represents the first playoff system in men’s professional golf. It consists of three stroke-play tournaments. The top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings at the end of the regular season qualify for the first event, from where the top 50 advance to the BMW Championship. Finally, the top 30 players after the BMW get to the Tour Championship, scheduled for August 29-September 1 in Atlanta, Georgia.
For more stories on the three Indian-origin players – Akshay Bhatia, Sahith Theegala and Aaron Rai, making a huge impact on the PGA Tour this year, visit www.indiagolfweekly.com .
Photo – PGA TOUR